Archives for June 9, 2011

With the news that Eva Ziegler is leaving her position as the brand and marketing leader for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide’s W (and Le Meridien) brand, the future of the trendy, lifestyle boutique-styled hotel is buzzing in the communications sphere as many are wondering, what’s next?

Having been with Starwood for six years, Ziegler had become known for helping Starwood launch the trend of boutique-styled hotels amongst big chains and also easily juxtaposing it with fashion, music and entertainment.

But as discussed at the 2011 Reuters Global Luxury and Fashion Summit, in a

“post-recession world, high-end hoteliers’ investments are shifting away from fancy freebies like lotion and soap and toward expert service that reflects a real understanding of the guest’s preferences.”

One of the worldâ€™s largest networks of online forums, CrowdGather announced that it will launch a fragrance targeted at dedicated online communities, which are made up largely of gamers and tech geeks. [Read more…]